


Emerging Powers

by thesilverhyena



Category: A Nightmare on Elm Street - All Media Types
Genre: Because I Love Blake so Much, Discovering Powers, Discovery, Don't worry I'm not killing the dogs, F/M, Springwood, doggos!, fight between Freddy and Blake, more powerful then you'd think, psychic vs dream demon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-09
Updated: 2020-09-09
Packaged: 2021-03-07 00:48:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 13,932
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26368183
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thesilverhyena/pseuds/thesilverhyena
Summary: Blake McCormick knows that there's something odd going on in her hometown of Springwood, yet no one dares say (or even think) anything! Shortly after the famed psychiatric hospital Westin Hills mysteriously burns to the ground and the Hypnocil supply dries up, it's up to the young psychic and her two canine companions to figure out who's behind the crime... and they find him!
Relationships: Freddy Krueger/Original Female Character
Kudos: 2





	Emerging Powers

**Author's Note:**

  * For [SyndromeVoorhees](https://archiveofourown.org/users/SyndromeVoorhees/gifts).
  * Inspired by [The Bound Fedora](https://archiveofourown.org/works/374605) by [SyndromeVoorhees](https://archiveofourown.org/users/SyndromeVoorhees/pseuds/SyndromeVoorhees). 



> The “Timeline” of this story coincides with SyndromeVoorhees' The Bound Fedora. Used with permission. Hey, Blake McCormick is an “Elm Street Brat”, it was really only a matter of time before she and the infamous “Urban Legend” of the area crossed paths.

*Springwood, Ruins of what was once Westin Hills*

It had been an interesting four or so years to say the least for Blake McCormick. Ever since the girl had been abducted from her hometown of Springwood by that devil-worshiping cult and dragged all the way to Crystal Lake, things were different. There, she had met the best friends that a little girl could have ever possibly asked for. Not just her guardian angels, Jason and Lisa Voorhees. There was Kane and Hodder as well, a pair of purebred German Shepherds, one white as snow, the other black as the night. That was also where she not only discovered just who and what her mother was, but that she had inherited and developed her own set of rather..... unique abilities. There was no sense in denying it; Blake was gifted with psychic abilities!

However, the budding teen had little idea how to fully utilize and control her powers. Blake still remained shy, often finding comfort with her father and two dogs or their yearly vacations out to Camp Crystal Lake in between the Spring and Summer. Although often reminded by Lisa and her father that her gifts were nothing to be ashamed of, Blake did her best to keep them hidden and only used them in private... or when it couldn't be helped. Still, despite everything she had been through, Blake remained a kind and gentle soul.

By now, Blake was blooming into quite the pretty young lady. Her eyes still remained her most unique feature, one a deep, chocolate brown and the other sky blue. Silky, shoulder length brown hair framed her gentle face. Even as she grew older, Blake still held the innocent appearance that she'd had since she was a child. The girl bore the scars from her imprisonment all those years ago, the most prominent one being a single, long blade mark down her right forearm and had several others peppering places hidden by the oversized black hoodie that she just slipped on over her head. It hardly matched the bright blue sundress that she was wearing, but Blake never cared. She loved that old, worn out hoodie almost as much as her daddy and two loyal German Shepherds!

Speaking of which, both Kane and Hodder trotted beside their mistress quite happily as they strolled down the eerily deserted streets of town. Things had gone on as normal, well, as normal as they could, then just a week ago, EVERYTHING in Springwood was turned on it's head and burst into disarray. Westin Hills, the famous psychiatric hospital specializing in sleep disorders, had been burned to the ground. Completely destroyed. The Hypnocil supply had mysteriously vanished and dried up as well. Even Blake's father was worried. People were panicking, some packing up whatever would fit in their cars and driving as far from the town as possible. Businesses closed up and moved out in the matter of hours! The only places that seemed to have some regular activity were the bars and churches... maybe one of the local coffee joints too. Blake had often considered that something strange was going on around her hometown. After all, it had a pretty long history yet.... she could not for the life of her locate a single spirit to ask about what was going on. And the living? Well, whenever the subject was brought up they seemed to go silent as the grave.

“Weird, isn't it, boys?” Blake asked, giving both of her dogs a scratch on the head, “In Crystal Lake I've got Mrs. Voorhees to talk too and the occasional moron who invaded Jason's property screaming for help. Occasional voices up in Texas when we went up to see daddy's extended family. And that time we passed through Haddonfield on a road trip. But here..... there's nothing.” she mused, as she walked.

Blake still felt something though, something inexplicable pulling her towards the ruins of the old hospital that she couldn't explain. Most would have considered it dangerous for such a young girl to be wandering around a near ghost town by herself, however there weren't many that would be dumb enough to attack a girl holding the leashes to a pair of potentially vicious German Shepherds and carrying a walking sturdy stick nearly as tall as herself!

It was a rather chilly and bleak day, despite being in the middle of April. And the gray clouds overhead only added to the dreary atmosphere once Blake and her furry friends made it to their destination. Where the once stark white brick walls stood was nothing but gray and blackened waste and rubble. The smell of smoke still hung heavy in the air and there was a powerful sense of foreboding and fear around the ruins of the once clean and well maintained hospital. There was a patchwork of mobile chain link fencing and police tape, but nothing that would keep unwanted explorers out. It was as though those that were investigating the crime scene wanted as little as possible to do with it. A loud bark from Kane broke the uncomfortable silence, then both dogs put their noses to the ground, already on the trail of something.

“I don't care what was stated on the news! This was NO freak accident, guys,” Blake explained, ducking under the “Do not Cross” tape as she explored the rubble, “Someone, or something, deliberately set this place on fire. And we are going to find out what. There we go, boys! Seek! That's it, seek!”

After turning over some chunks of wall and foundation and moving the remnants of beds and other furniture aside, Kane and Hodder began to dig quickly, then abruptly stopped. Already, Blake could feel a change in the air and her chest tightened a little. She knew they were onto something. The two dogs whined softly, trying to place themselves between their mistress and whatever it was they had been digging up.

“Easy there, boys. That's it, Kane. There's a good boy, Hodder. What's wrong?”

Blake spoke softly and in a calm tone, gazing right back into the expressive brown eyes of both canines. There was something here they didn't like, and even she was feeling the goosebumps form on her skin as a freezing cold wind swept through the wreckage site.

“It's up to us to find out what's going on! Obviously no one else around here is.” she added, bending down to finish what Kane and Hodder began.

Out of the rubble, the young teen pulled out a piece of red and green striped cloth that was oddly undamaged by the blaze. It was torn and frayed, like it had snagged on something prior. She was both intrigued and startled, especially when a strong scent began to fill her nose, overpowering that of smoke and ashes. Mens' cologne, maybe? Kane and Hodder ceased to whine and began growling instead, baring their teeth in a threatening display. However, Blake didn't have time to investigate further, someone was coming. Hastily, she slipped her find into the large front pocket of her hoodie and snuck out of the “accident scene” before she or her dogs got in trouble for snooping. Blake could feel her heart beating faster, and it wasn't just from picking up her pace on the walk back home.

As she walked, the smell became stronger, even once long out of sight of Westin Hills. Hodder and Kane started whining softly again, glancing up to Blake worriedly. But, once the small group left the near deserted town and turned onto their street, Elm Street, in order to head home, things became more intense from there. Blake stopped in front of a nice looking, light blue, two story house that had a gorgeous and immaculate lawn and well maintained garden. Two vehicles were parked in the driveway, though the trunks were open and in the process of being packed. But, when the girl blinked, a different sight filled her vision. It was the same lot, same yard, but it was vastly different. Dead trees, gray grass, and dry, crusty leaves blew in the chilling wind. The house had changed too, into an old, decrepit manor. Paint was peeling off of the rotting wooden sides and all the windows were boarded shut. At the top of the door was the address, “1428 Elm Street”. There were several children, boys and girls, all dressed in what could only be described as old fashioned, Sunday finest, playing games in the yard. All they while, they sang a haunting nursery rhyme,

_1, 2, Freddy's coming for you,_

_3, 4, better lock your door,_

_5, 6, grab your crucifix,_

_7, 8, better stay up late,_

_9, 10, never sleep again!_

Blake took in a sharp breath and stumbled back. Her two dogs barked and whined, nuzzling against her just to make sure that she was okay.

“I'm fine, boys.... I'm okay.”

She pet each of her dogs in turn, realizing that it was merely a vision. An incredibly vivid one. Whether it was what was, will be, or may happen, Blake could not be certain. Not yet. Everything was back to normal again, with the exception of the current homeowners, a young married couple, rushing in and out, asking if they had everything they would need.

“Miss McCormick! What are you doing out here? It isn't safe. You and your father should leave this place! Leave now while you still can!” called the mother, as she fastened her three year old son into his car seat.

“What's going on? Why is everyone so scared? Does this.... have something to do with 1428 Elm Street? Or the Hypnocil shortage?” Blake questioned, growing more and more confused and annoyed by the minute.

No one was telling her anything. Not even her own father. Peoples' minds tended to be blank around here, like they had been blocking a trauma out for so long that they eventually forget about it completely. All Blake did know was that the young mother she spoke to turned a deathly pale and looked like she might have begun crying upon hearing that mere address.

“Vernon... Vernon.... We need to get out of here, now!!”

Once the child was safely in the back seat, the young woman screamed at her husband to hurry up and that they needed to go. She never answered Blake's question, only that she had best forget that place, for her own safety. Very faintly, even as both husband and wife got into separate cars and backed out of their driveway, Blake could hear a voice in her mind, coming from the frantic mother.

_'Poor girl, she'll be his next victim if she ever learns the truth.... we never should have bought this place!'_

The sound of car engines getting further away and Kane's and Hodder's frantic barking brought Blake out of her momentary trance. She couldn't be certain if the woman actually said something to her or not, but every so often, Blake would hear the thoughts of the living as well as the dead. Taking in a heavy sigh, the girl calmed down her two anxious dogs and made her way back home. Her dad would be worried about her if she stayed out for too long, even though he'd more then likely be asleep by the time she got back, since he worked at one of the few remaining taverns in town during the night shift.

Blake managed a small smile once she was home, a nice little, cottage style house at the end of the street. Sometimes, her father spoke of moving, especially now since this fiasco was happening, and while Blake always thought of this place at home, a thought did cross her mind that maybe she had her daddy could move to Crystal Lake and be closer to Jason and Lisa. While these ideas ran through her head, the girl showed herself inside and locked the door behind her before setting her walking stick down, taking off her boots, and unclipping Kane and Hodder from their leashes.

“Keep it down, daddy needs to sleep.” Blake whispered to her dogs.

Despite the fact that they were barking and growling earlier, both German Shepherds quieted down at her request, happily taking the doggie treats that their mistress offered them before getting a drink of water from the kitchen. Blake however, found herself in the living room, on the comfy looking plush couch, sketchbook and pencil in hand, muttering that rhyme she had heard during her vision.

“1, 2, Freddy's coming for you,” she muttered, taking that torn piece of cloth she had found back at Westin Hills out of her pocket, “3, 4, better lock your door.”

Blake had lost track of time, only partially aware of what she was doing as her pencil met with paper and an image began to steadily form. That heavy scent began to waft in the air once more, she couldn't stop herself now. Images of a man with burnt skin and demonic, yellow eyes clouded her vision. She only stopped once she felt two large paws against her arm. Snapping out of her trance, Blake looked over, realizing that her dogs had joined her in the living room.

“Hodder! You silly boy, it's not.... dinner time.... yet....”

Each word became progressively slower as Blake looked at what she had drawn. Staring back at her from the paper was a malefic looking man with horribly disfigured skin, very much like what she had seen flashing before her eyes earlier. A fedora covered his head and he was wearing a striped sweater. What color, well, Blake hadn't thought that far in advance, she was just using a regular graphite led to draw right now. But the pattern matched the swatch of fabric she had found. Yet that wasn't the scariest part.... no.... Blake recognized what this burnt man had on his right hand. A glove, metal plated like a gauntlet with razors on the fingers, giving the appearance of claws.

“It... It can't be..... t-that's the... the same thing mom-I.... I mean..... Amelia Rake used! That glove with the blades on it!” Blake mentioned, more to herself then anyone, as she glanced down to her dogs, “Jason and Lisa still have that thing nailed up to the wall of their tunnel. What is this guy doing with it? Who is he? Could.... he be this.... Freddy?”

Kane and Hodder both began to growl softly once more, the fur on their backs and hackles raising. Sighing heavily, Blake set her sketchbook and pencil down on the nearby coffee table, leaving her hands free to stroke and pet the dogs. Obviously, they had stumbled onto something, what exactly, the girl didn't know. She was able to take a break from her thoughts as Kane licked her hand and sniffed up her arm. Both dogs were more clingy then usual and didn't want to leave her. After such a long walk and with the growing darkness outside, Blake began to feel fatigue creeping over her. She hadn't been sleeping well the past week, and what little Hypnocil she and her father had left was rationed out carefully, barely enough for a few more days. Her dad was initially going to give what was left to her, but Blake refused to take it all. She couldn't do that to him, not until they could get some more.

As Blake settled in, moving herself into a more comfortable position on the couch, Hodder jumped up, curling up at her feet and resting his head on her legs, while Kane lay down on the floor, where Blake's hand still rested upon his thick fur. Somehow, Blake just knew that this was going to be far more then a little Sunday nap. She felt drawn, a powerful urge to go somewhere that most weren't able to. A place she had unwittingly visited before when she was younger.

“Just think happy thoughts, boys.” Blake mumbled, to her dogs, before her heavy eyelids closed, pulling her into the realm of dreams.

**~1428 Elm St.~ ~1428 Elm St.~ ~1428 Elm St.~ ~1428 Elm St.~ ~1428 Elm St.~**

It could have been minutes, seconds, or even hours. She didn't know. But when Blake's vision returned and she groggily looked around, the girl realized that while Kane and Hodder were still by her side, she was no longer on her couch in the family room. On the rare occasion she did dream, the young psychic usually tried to focus her thoughts on the lush forests surrounding Crystal Lake, rustic cabins, and fresh country air. Thinking about her friends usually helped to calm her down and keep the nightmares to a minimum. Yet here, Blake found herself trapped in an incredibly lucid dream, staring down the tattered yard, complete with dead trees swaying in a chill wind, and the decrepit manor house, 1428 Elm Street. The spooky looking children, still dressed in their clean white suits and frilly lace dresses, continued to play their games of jump rope and hopscotch, giggling and laughing in haunting voices. At a closer inspection, bones and skulls seemed to be scattered throughout the yard, yet the creepy children paid them no mind. Kane and Hodder both growled, sticking to their mistress' side like velcro once she started forward.

At a mere thought, Blake's wooden walking stick appeared in her hand. Dream or not, she wasn't about to take any chances. Ever since “The Incident” with the Soldiers of Eternal Damnation, she had learned how to fight and protect herself if need be. While she walked, her boots materialized over her her feet as well. No sense in being caught barefoot in this hellish place.

“Hodder, Kane, I have a very strong premonition that we're about to find out what's been going on in this town.... and we ain't going to like it.” Blake warned, taking in a deep breath as she observed three young girls playing Double Dutch near the sidewalk, “If we are left with no choice, don't hesitate to tear it's throat out when we find it.”

The two German Shepherds gazed up at their mistress, ears perked and alert. While the children were unnerving and creepy, they made no move to harm Blake or her dogs, in fact a few of them innocently asked if they could pet Kane and Hodder.

“Tell me something... do you know someone by the name of Freddy?” Blake questioned, “I....I heard you singing about him earlier.”

As the young boy and girl stroked each of the patient dogs in turn, the girl smiled, “His name is Freddy Krueger. And he lives here.”

Both she and the boy pointed at the house in unison, “We are all his children! Soon, you will be too.” the boy said, ominously, before the two of them took off to join in a game of hopscotch.

Already, Blake could feel her heart beat faster with every move she made, bringing her closer to the rickety porch. She had heard talk like that before; the cultists just loved to speak like that, especially Amelia.

“No... they're dead. I watched them die.... this is just a dream.... scary as this may be, it can't kill you.”

_“Heh, heh,hehe,heh, heh.... That's what you think, little bitch....”_ whispered a raspy yet deep, growling voice in the back of Blake's mind,  _“They all say that.... until I gut them like the squealing little piggies that they are!”_

Upon hearing that voice and accompanying sound of blades scraping together, Blake turned around, expecting to see some dark, imposing figure standing right behind her, yet she saw.... nothing. And that was the scariest part. All had suddenly gone quiet. The children inexplicably vanished from the front lawn, leaving not a single trace that they were ever there. Kane's and Hodder's hackles raised once more as they growled and snapped their jaws. Blake knew that there was someone, or something, watching her. She could feel it feeding off of her fear, savoring it like a fine wine. Gripping her walking staff and hardening her face, trying to give herself a tougher and more intimidating appearance, Blake walked up the creaky steps and gripped the door knob.

“The forest calm, still and cool. Sun through the trees and the song of the birds.” Blake whispered to herself.

Upon opening the door and stepping inside, she did her best to focus on the place that she loved, a woodland far away from this creepy hellhole where she could hear herself think. Yet much to her disappointment, Blake found herself only treading deeper down the proverbial rabbit hole. Without warning, the door slammed itself shut as soon as they entered, sealing herself and the dogs inside. Yelping and baying, Hodder and Kane turned around, frantically scratching at where the door used to be, while the wall shifted all on it's own, turning from wood with peeling wallpaper into solid concrete. Blake had originally expected to find a place that very much resembled a Solders of Eternal Damnation's safe house, but instead, the manor had melted away completely, shifting into an eerie industrial setting instead. 

A thick, smoky scent wafted in the air, similar to what the ruins of Westin Hills smelled like. Several pipes snaked along the wall, hissing from the steam that escaped them while water dripped on the floor. Up above was a virtual maze of catwalks that looked rather precarious. Not only was it uncomfortably hot in this place, it was somewhat humid as well. Everything in view was tinted an eerie red coloration, though after being in it a while, Blake's eyes began to adjust.

_'I killed them.... slaughtered them like the little piggies they were! Too good of a death for them if you ask me. Some of them didn't even get a chance to scream...'_

Cold shivers ran up and down Blake's spine, and she knew once again that she was not alone. These didn't sound like someone speaking to her directly, in person. They were more of whispers, like how the dead would speak to her mind directly. Who or whatever this thing was.... it wasn't aware that it was transmitting it's thoughts like a broadcast. Could it be dead? Undead, maybe?

“I know it's you! You're the one they're all scared of, even if they don't truly know it or why.” Blake called out, carefully gazing around in every direction, “I.... I know you're there! You can't hide from me or my dogs forever, so why don't you just show yourself already?!”

After declaring her challenge, Blake and her two dogs suddenly spun around, feeling an incredibly powerful presence attempting to surprise them from behind. He had emerged out of nowhere, standing roughly five feet away. This man... no.... this demon, matched the depiction in Blake's drawing perfectly, down to the tears on his ratty red and green sweater, burnt skin, and stains on his bladed glove. At once, Hodder and Kane snarled ferociously, more savagely then Blake had ever seen them react before.

“Very well....” the burnt man growled, with a fiendish grin as he raised the brim of his brown fedora, revealing harsh, electric blue eyes,“Well now. Well, well, well.... I've waited some time to get the chance to meet you, Blake. Hmhmhmhm... come to Freddy.” he added, beckoning with his clawed hand as his smile widened.

“Y-you know my name?” Blake questioned, taking a small step back.

Freddy just chuckled a little, figuring he'd toy with his new prey for a little bit, “I know every Elm Street brat there is! The only problem, is that they don't know me! Fucking Weston Hills and all that damn dream poison saw to that! But now.... that's all going to change.” he rasped huskily, flexing his blades against the concrete wall, creating the most horrible scraping sound imaginable.

The Dream Demon paused his advance, growing increasingly aware of the fact that this girl was analyzing him. Oh she was afraid to be certain, yet for the moment, her curiosity seemed to be getting the better of her. Then it struck him; as he read through her fears, SHE was somehow hearing his inner monologue and thoughts. There was something about her, something he wasn't able to pinpoint. Interestingly enough, however, while Blake had never seen him until now, Freddy knew that she had seen his favored weapon before.

“Like it, Blake? Your mother used one just.... like.... this, didn't she? She was an.... interesting case, just like you.” purred the demon.

“T-that bladed glove.... My Mo-I-I mean Amelia Rake had it. How.... di-?” Blake cut herself off, already knowing the answer and mentally cursing herself for her curiosity.

The girl didn't have to read his thoughts, it was written all over his face as plainly as words on a page. Amelia Rake had claimed her prized razor gauntlet belonged to her mentor and muse. He, Freddy Krueger, was her inspiration. He was the master and she the apprentice.

“W-what did you know of her? A-and why would I b-be of any value to you?” Blake asked, through an uncomfortably dry mouth.

At her question, Freddy continued,

“Amelia Rake was the only Elm Street brat I didn't feel an overwhelming desire to slaughter... at first,” he emphasized, holding up a clawed finger, “That whore was useful to me, she idolized my work even before I became what you see before you now. When I entered her dreams to redecorate my boiler room with her innards, Amelia threw herself at my feet and worshiped me as the God of Death itself. Hmph, well, I wasn't about to kill off such an admirer like that. So instead, I asked Amelia to spread the word about me. She was always keeping fresh souls around and my name alive.”

“S-so y-you need people t-to know about you in-in order to exist? Otherwise y-you'd just go out like a light, then?” Blake asked, trying to keep her tone as calm as possible, “You aren't alive, yet neither are you truly dead.”

At her question, Freddy just smirked and shook his head, wagging a clawed finger in the air in a scolding motion; he knew she was fishing for information on how to be rid him! Blake was far more perceptive then any of his other victims as of yet, save for one that the dream demon kept close to his blackened heart.

“But your mother's devotion to me turned into something.... more. An obsession! She envied the gifts I was granted upon my torturous, fiery death! That bitch STOLE THIS from my home and replaced it with a forgery for the police to find!” Freddy's voice raised dangerously, as he showed off his bladed gauntlet.

Blake took in a nervous gulp, doing her best to keep herself, Kane, and Hodder under control, “W-well.... it obviously looks as though you got it back.”

The only thing was.... this wasn't the real one. Her mind began to race; she knew who had the original and more importantly, it's exact location. She knew Jason and Lisa were tough, but Blake did not want to lead this thing to her friends. Cautiously and inconspicuously, she flooded her thoughts with visions of Amelia wielding that clawed hand against her helpless human sacrifices while crowds of robed cultists cheered, hoping that the dream demon would latch onto those instead. Freddy hissed angrily, seeing the pure ecstasy that had been on Amelia's face while she was tearing a young boy's heart right out of his chest while he was still alive. And the screams of terror, they continued to ring in Blake's ears.

“That fucking cunt no longer wanted to serve me.... she wanted to BECOME me!” Freddy rasped.

“Yes, well I can certainly see the resemblance within your pitiless hearts.”

At Blake's comment, Freddy leveled a ferocious glower at her, half-tempted to just slice her dogs' necks and her own in order to shut them up.

“I didn't say 'like' me, I said 'become' me! Your mother began a killing spree of her own, mirroring my past kills with such precision, that the authorities had no choice but to say my name!” Krueger explained, “But that wasn't enough for her! She began studying the black arts and used my personal artifacts to try and channel my power, MY POWER, into her self! Hmph.... but you and I both know that it wasn't me she ended up getting.” he added with a smirk.

Slowly, Blake nodded. She remembered those slithering, hissing voices that followed Amelia around. At first Blake thought she had simply lost her mind due to her captivity, until she learned of her own abilities and the existence of the Dream Realm.

“Still, even with demonic spirits of her own, Amelia continued to seek me out in my world. I nearly slit her throat right where you stand now,” Freddy growled, as he started to circle the girl, “But I knew that she would have been honored to have had me slaughter her. To become.... a part of me! So instead, I cast Amelia and her inferior fiends out of my realm, never appearing to her again. Oh, if she wasn't driven mad before.... Amelia continued her slaughter, desperately screaming my name with every swing of MY blades, praying that I would appear to her again. Oh sure, she led other unwitting souls straight too me in her onslaught, until the people of Springwood drove her out of town, leaving me with nothing as THEY sought to erase my existence!”

He snarled in the back of his throat, trying to cool down his raging temper upon finishing. Already, Blake was making herself a mental note; his foul temper might be turned against him, if it came to a fight. And in his anger, Freddy unwittingly let something slip. Amongst the flashes of brutal, gory murders and severe trauma, Blake caught sight of something she hadn't expected. Chains. Spiritual bindings that couldn't be seen by normal eyes, but they could be felt, tethering him to something... something that even Blake was having a hard time deciphering. The psychic tilted her head in question, one hand firmly gripping her walking staff while the other stroked the back of her closest dog. Was there something other then burns and a severe grudge afflicting this fiend?

“A-and me? I-I had nothing to do with the theft of your property. I-I didn't even know Amelia was m-my birth mother until she and her crazy cult abducted me! Until this afternoon, I knew nothing about YOU!”

Freddy just chuckled at Blake's statement, “Amelia never mentioned my name around you, did she? Hmph, didn't want me to get you before she could. And daddy... Daddy did a good job hiding you from me, didn't he? Then.... then daddy's little princess had to go and get curious!”

Blake felt her mouth go horribly dry again. This thing knew about her father too?! She wanted to say something in retaliation, but nothing came out. Blake knew that the dream demon was right. Her curiosity drove her to follow the trail, regardless of the numerous warnings along the way. And, now that Westin Hills was gone and the Hypnocil supply in great shortage, there wouldn't be much standing in the way of this fiend.

“As for you, Blake.... you do share an uncanny resemblance to your mother.”

The demon delighted in Blake's uncomfortable squirming. Indeed, the girl was truly frightened by the notion of sharing ANY sort of trait with that horrific woman.

“She.... she was never my mother.... so stop calling her that! Amelia was nothing more then a monster.”

Blake knew Freddy was trying to get to her, get her to open up her fears. And the worst part was, it was working. It didn't take a psychic to figure out that he planned on extracting his pound of flesh! Freddy was willing to settle for Amelia's spawn as payment for the transgressions she had committed against him in the past.

As the fiend advanced, flexing his blades, Blake held her ground and shifted into a fighting stance, walking staff held out in front of her while Hodder and Kane snapped their jaws threateningly toward Krueger.

“Many have tried to kill me, Blake. ALL have failed! But enough about that. Welcome to my nightmare, bitch!” The Dream Demon snarled.

“Stop right where you are! I don't want to harm anyone, but I will fight you if left with no other choice!” Blake warned.

There was no hiding the fear lacing her voice this time. Although Blake knew the basics of self defense and had her loyal companions at her side, she hadn't actually had to fight anyone before. Not since that cold, snowy night at Crystal Lake four years ago. Seeing the change in Blake's posture, Freddy just threw back his head and laughed like this was a joke.

“Ahahahaaa! And just what are you gonna do to me with that toothpick ya got there, huh?!” he mocked, pausing as a wickedly cruel idea crossed his warped mind, “I know your fears, little piggy... Let's just say, it wont be me you're going to have to fight!”

With a hiss, Freddy flicked his hand forward in a silent order. Blake winced slightly, feeling a bit of a strain on her mind, but nothing too serious that she couldn't handle. She quickly figured out what it was Freddy was trying to do and a ghost of a smirk graced her lips. All the while, the Krueger demon just seemed to be getting annoyed. Metal Pipes began to creak and moan, hissing from the steam escaping and the air became uncomfortably hot as his anger persisted.

_'Come on, you fucking mutts! Rip that little bitch to pieces already!'_ Freddy snarled, inwardly.

Completely oblivious to his commands, the two German Shepherds continued to stay in between Krueger and their mistress, growling angrily. This wasn't right! There were the rare sort of people that kept a calm enough mind in his realm that were able to try and use the power of dreams against him. They would conjure up everything from weapons and superpowers to various beasts to try and protect themselves, only to have Freddy twist it into their undoing before finishing off the poor sap with his savage blades. But Kane and Hodder refused to budge!

“You were saying, Mr. Krueger?” Blake questioned, her mismatched eyes meeting Freddy's harsh blue ones, “Not trying to tell my boys to do bad things, now are we? Seems you aren't the only one who's powers are amplified in this world.”

Outraged by the budding teen's defiance, Freddy lunged forward, vanishing and reappearing behind Blake, claws raised and at the ready only to take a sharp jab under his chin from the end of Blake's staff, taking the dream demon by surprise. With a shout, Blake twisted around, smacking her bewildered opponent in the side of his head with the other end of her staff, nearly knocking off his filthy fedora as she did. The girl's expression hardened, and while Freddy prepared for his second attack, he only now realized just what he was dealing with. Kenda had been dangerous enough to him with her novice Navaho magic back at Westin Hills. Now he realized that he had picked a fight with a psychic, something the dream demon had never encountered before. His usual tricks.... weren't going to work. He'd have to improvise.

“Fucking hell, what have I done...?” Freddy groaned, irritably.

The mild annoyance of Blake's strikes healed quickly enough, however the fiend found himself with two new furry problems, bounding for him with fangs bared.

_'Kane, Hodder, go for his right hand and his throat! Watch out for those blades.'_ Blake ordered, mentally.

Snarling in the back of his throat, Freddy intercepted the two ferocious dogs, enduring the sharp teeth of Hodder sinking into his arm while grabbing Kane by the scruff of the neck with his free hand. A sickening greenish-yellow blood spilled from the flesh wound, causing Freddy to wince before throwing Kane down one of the long, concrete maze-like corridors, delighting in the pained yelp the beast let out. The remaining dog released with a whimper, just in time before Blake swung her staff at the burnt demon.

In a swift motion, Freddy deflected the attack with his bladed hand, laughing as he grappled the much smaller female and pulled her in so close, Blake could smell the rot on his breath, “Clever little bitch, aren't you?”

Before Blake could retaliate, Freddy slashed his blades over her arms and even her flank, sending a fresh spray of warm blood to spatter on the filthy ground. She frantically called to her dogs, who were still recovering from the first attack and fighting to steady themselves. Finally, with a good, solid kick right in the cheap seats, Blake had the dream demon momentarily doubled over and hissing in pain, right before following up with another jab to his chest from her staff.

_'I learned from the best.'_ Blake muttered to herself. 

Overhearing that mental remark, the dream demon lashed out with a vengeance, shredding the fabric of Blake's dress and tearing through her skin with his razors, coating them bright crimson. Blake could no longer hold back her anguished cries as she broke off from the demon, using her free hand in an attempt to staunch the bleeding on her arm. Her heart beat quickened and the surrounding air was so thick and heavy it was difficult to breathe properly, causing her to cough a little. Freddy chuckled, preparing to taste the girl's blood off his claws. The taste test, however, would have to be put on hold, as he felt a surge of power course throughout Blake, channeling in two separate directions as Kane and Hodder came barreling in from either side, preparing for round two.

“Kane, Hodder!” the girl cried out,  _'Go for his throat, boys!'_ she commanded, mentally.

The two German Shepherds snarled, clamping their vice-like jaws into the dream demon's scarred flesh. With the added weight biting down on his wrist once more, Freddy had a harder time wielding his bladed hand, though he managed to stab a decently deep wound into Hodder's shoulder when he felt the vicious beast's teeth graze against his exposed neck. The dog let out a pained yip, though did not give up on the attack.

As Blake rushed forward, preparing to take out Krueger's legs with her staff, the girl could faintly hear another voice screaming within the demon's mind. It sounded like a female crying out in pain. Then the chains flashed in Blake's vision once more, and she actually caught a glimpse of genuine worry and fear in Freddy's eyes, if only for a moment.

_'Freddy!! Stop! What's happening? Please..... stop.... it's hurting me.'_

“W-what.... what the fuck i-is this?” the demon hissed.

If only for a second, he had actually SEEN his bindings for the first time. Now he became truly afraid.... what if she were to learn his secret? Or did Blake already know? Growling in frustration and wincing from agony, Freddy threw Kane and Hodder off of him once more, nearly striking Blake with one of the savage creatures, before his form vanished from view with the most evil glare imaginable on his face.

Blake was bloody and in pain, but still standing. Before worrying about herself, the girl tended to her dogs, taking a moment to examine Hodder in particular. It was a bad wound, deep into the muscle and his fur with sticky with blood. The soot black German Shepherd whimpered, though he gave his mistress a gentle lick on her face to reassure her that he was okay. Kane was quick to do the same for Blake.

“Thank God you're alright!” Blake panted, pulling her furry companions into a hug, “Hodder, Kane.... thank you for protecting me.”

Tearing off pieces of her own skirt, she preformed a quick if crude field patch on herself and on her dogs to staunch the bleeding. All the while, her mind was on overdrive. That thing was still hovering around, somewhere in this lucid nightmare. Yet...

_'I saw them again. The chains.... and that girl. She called to him, and he responded.'_ Blake whispered to herself, “Kane, Hodder. We can't.... -cough, cough- leave this half-finished. C-can you, -cough- still hunt?”

Both dogs gazed back up at Blake with trusting, melting eyes. They were ready to resume the fight, they would do whatever she asked of them if it so pleased her. Though Blake was beginning to feel a strong, overwhelming doubt plague her. The coughing and aches were starting again and she felt a little lightheaded. It was difficult enough to breathe already and now her own body was going to see fit that now was the time to fight against her. Kane and Hodder whined softly, gently scratching at Blake's legs with their front paws as she stood back up.

“N-nothing we... haven't -cough, cough- handled before, boys.” Blake rasped, gripping her staff tightly, “Seek!”

Watching from the shadows, Freddy grinned as he observed Blake and her dogs start searching down the endless maze of pipe-laden passageways and corridors. The dream demon knew he had picked out the core of her fears and began channeling it through her as quickly as he could. Blake was spirited and not one to give up, she had a strong fighting instinct and will to live, just like her mother Amelia. However, the young girl's frail constitution and gentle heart were an easy exploit for the dream demon to utilize. Freddy knew she could sense him, but that didn't matter to the fiend. He'd wear her down, then strike. With few victims wondering into his lair as of late, he wanted the hunt to last.

“Hmph, I'll enjoy adding that bitch's powers to my own,” Freddy mused, quietly, “That flawless control of animals could be fun. Wonder if it'll work on humans.”

_'Freddy.... please come back. J-just let this one go.... please...'_

Annoyed, Freddy shook his head, trying to get the prominent voice in his head to quiet. He felt at his wrists, letting out a long sigh. While they couldn't be seen, for the moment anyway, they could be felt. Freddy knew that she didn't like this, when he would go out and hunt people within their dreams. But it was just the nature of the beast within. He needed fresh souls in order to survive.

_'Sorry Sid, but this is one I can't just let go. You wouldn't understand. Now would be a good time for you to wake up.'_

His features dropped when Sid's worried and strained, _'That's just it.... I can't!'_ rang in the back of his mind.

That had never happened before. Usually all it took was a push of the will and anyone Freddy didn't feel like dealing with at any given time would have been cast out. He had done it to Sidney a fer times, shoving her out of his realm when she feebly tried to stop him from making a kill or on the rare occasion he found someone who could fight back. Was.... Blake keeping Sidney here, unknowingly? Freddy's eyes narrowed and a low growl escaped his throat. Even though he could have left and returned to Sid's side, he couldn't leave something this dangerous to roam his world freely. Be she the cause or not, Freddy would see Blake's flesh and Blood coat his claws.

“Coincidence? I think not!”

**~1428 Elm St.~ ~1428 Elm St.~ ~1428 Elm St.~ ~1428 Elm St.~ ~1428 Elm St.~**

After another violent fit of coughing, Blake had no choice but to lean against the wall for support. She let out a slight hiss, having accidentally touched one of the hot pipes on the wall, leaving her hand with a painful reminder not to do that again. The girl panted heavily and closed her eyes, listening to Freddy's jeering and taunts in the back of her mind. She had no concept of how much time had passed. Ten minutes? Ten Hours? It was all the same here. Kane and Hodder remained by her side, anxiously whimpering and growling at the slightest noise. 

Both dogs nearly jumped when Blake groaned, grasping her stomach. The girl could no longer hold it in as she felt the bile rising in her throat and she vomited, letting it splatter on the filthy, concrete ground.

“Sorry about that, boys.” Blake moaned, taking in as deep of a breath as she dared.

She wiped her mouth with her hand, wishing she had some water to erase the horrid taste out of her mouth. Her entire body ached, and the wounds caused by Krueger's blades weren't helping. Dark rings formed around the girl's eyes and her skin turned a sickly pale, feeling cold and clammy to the touch. She burned up from a raging fever that rapidly sapped her strength. The last time she had truly felt this weak and helpless, it had been after a week or so of being Amelia's captive. Blake tried pushing those memories out of her head, taking a few more steps, but by now, she was exhausted. The girl just wanted to wake up and end this nightmare, but the demon wouldn't let her. Somehow, he was making her sick at a rapid rate, preying on her deepest fear of all. Her weak health.

_'Freddy.... please...'_

Blake paused. There was that voice again, pleading with the dream demon. She sounded genuinely distraught, like she had been crying. Crying in such a way that you might when someone you care about is going to do something horrible. For a brief moment of calm, Blake could feel a sense of overwhelming sadness, emanating from where the dream demon concealed himself in the shadows.

Upon coming to the end of this particular corridor, Blake found herself in some sort of run down yet functioning boiler room. Next to the searing furnace towards the back of the room was a beat up work bench and table. Blackened bones continued to cook in the furnace, and the smell indicated that they had been there for a while. A few sharp objects hung on the wall, mostly knives and tools, along with some devices for sharpening blades. (Blake had seen similar things back in Jason's tunnels.)

A deep, sinister chuckle caused Blake and her dogs to turn around in unison, yet nothing was there. Nothing that could be seen anyway. Kane and Hodder faced the wall, their hackles raised and teeth bared, ready to protect their sick mistress from the fiend. Mustering up all the strength and courage she had remaining, Blake issued her final challenge.

“What-what's the -cough, cough- matter, Freddy? T-too afraid -cough, cough, cough- t-too fight off a s-sick little girl?” Blake questioned, with a hint of venom lacing her voice, “Or a-are -cough- you scared... -cough, cough- of people who fight back? D-does she know...? Does.... does -cough, cough- Sidney.... k-know -cough- what you're doing right now?”

The mere mention of that name was enough to set Freddy off. From his hiding place, his eyes widened in shock that the girl would even know that name, right before seething fury took over. With a shout, Freddy melded right out of the wall from behind Blake, Kane and Hodder. Unable to intercept the attack with her severely weakened reflexes, Blake was tossed to the floor like a rag doll by the dream demon, sliding dangerously close to the furnace, and her staff slid out of her hand, rolling to the other side of the room. Hodder and Kane barked fiercely, intent on tearing Freddy to shreds. This time, before the German Shepherds could use him for a chew toy again, the fiend shoved them off of him with a powerful telekinetic force right into the wall. He delighted in the agonized whimpering and baying the wounded beasts made when they came into contact with the pipes and hard wall, along with the smear of blood on it. When the startled, bleeding canines struggled to their feet to charge yet again, Freddy flicked his hand, conjuring two thick chains to wrap around the dogs' necks and mouths, jerking them backwards and halting them in their tracks.

“K-Kane.... Hodder!!” Blake cried out, “-cough, cough- N-no!”

Now that the girl's furry bodyguards were dealt with, Freddy could focus on Blake. He flexed his claws, even licking one of the blades clean of her blood with a freakishly long tongue.

“You taste.... good,” Freddy purred, watching with satisfaction as the girl struggled to her feet, “Hmph, don't worry about your flea-ridden mutts! I'll take good care of them.... after I've dealt with their alpha-bitch!”

Blake's eyes momentarily darted from him, to her staff that was still on the ground. With Kane and Hodder trapped, she'd need her weapon if she was to even have any sort of chance against this vile creature. Freddy just laughed with sadistic glee, watching the already sick and injured girl seemingly trip over nothing and fall prostrate down to the grimy floor again. Groaning softly, Blake could feel that her ankle had been twisted. Next, an agonized scream came from her mouth, feeling as though someone had just jabbed her in the stomach with a cattle prod. She panted heavily, unable to get in enough fresh air. Honestly, it felt as though she was suffocating!

“Ahhhh..... as you grow weaker, I grow stronger! Now squeal for me, like the little piggy you are.”

Freddy allowed her to crawl a little bit more, if only because her suffering amused him, before he snapped his fingers, shattering her staff into multiple, worthless pieces. Blake's heart sank and the bile began to rise in her throat once more. She let out another pained whimper, feeling herself being levitated into the air. Almost as quickly as it began, Blake was slammed back down, but not on the hard, unforgiving ground as she had been expecting. Head spinning and vision blurry, the girl was able to make out a blood-soaked silken cloth draped over the sturdy wooden table beneath her. Then it hit her, a strong, rotting stench that forced Blake to retch once again. Blinking blearily and lifting her head, Blake found herself gazing into the eye sockets of a goat's head that was in a state of decomposition. Stuck in a hole carved in the top was an ornate knife.

The young psychic shivered violently, feeling cold chills running up and down her spine. This.... was not a table, it was an alter. The same one she was nearly slaughtered on four years ago! Blood began to seep from the cracks in the floor and walls, painting the entire boiler room deep crimson and causing everything around her to reek of death, just like in the nightmares Blake suffered when she was a little child.

“Oh.... -cough, cough- God...” Blake whimpered, pitifully, “Please -cough- no...”

She closed her eyes, trying to block out the horrific images surrounding her. When she tried to get up, Freddy used his ungloved hand to grasp around her neck and flip her over on her back, pinning the girl in place. Rapidly weakening, Blake gazed up to the furious dream demon, right into those harsh blue eyes as they turned yellow and red. Freddy leaned in close, licking the mixture of blood, sweat, and tears off of her cheek, before raising his clawed hand to strike.

“This.... this is God!” he purred, right in her ear.

His voice made Blake's blood run cold. Once again, the scent of that cologne filled the air, even overshadowing burnt and rotting flesh. Staring up at the fiend, steadily feeling the life being choked out of her, she could hear her Kane's and Hodder's muffled barks and yips as they bucked against their restraints, desperately trying to escape to her aid.

“When I'm through with you, I'll pay your daddy a visit.” Freddy whispered in her ear, “Let him know his little.... kitten is dead before I rip his heart out of his chest!”

The girl grasped Freddy's arm in an instinctual, self preserving attempt to free herself. For her self. For her father. For her family. She couldn't let this vile creature slay her for his sick fantasy. Blake relaxed, entering a momentary euphoric state of mind. She could hear that other girl, Sidney, crying out in Freddy's mind, feel the weight of the chains bound to his soul. Then something happened, something neither one of them could have predicted.

Freddy made to pierce through Blake's heart with his razors, only the blades never struck. Just a few inches away, and his arm refused his own body's commands and wouldn't move any further.

“What the fuck?!” Freddy snarled, as he attempted to stab her again.

Blake's eyes snapped open and with a force she didn't know she even had, the girl hurled Freddy through the air and sent him crashing into a wall a mere thought. She gasped for what air would come into her lungs as she sat up, both frightened an intrigued by what she had just done. After glancing down at her hands in shock, then back to the bewildered dream demon, Blake realized something. She no longer felt ill. In fact, she felt stronger then she ever had been before in her life. More then that, her prior injuries had healed completely. Calmly, the girl rose to her feet, scrubbing the blood and gore on the floor out of existence with a wave of her hand and causing the alter behind her to burst into flames.

“I'm sure that there is a God, Krueger. And I'm pretty certain he doesn't dress like that!” Blake scoffed, conjuring her staff back into her hands, good as new as though it had never been broken.

“Fucking bitch, I'll-!” Freddy growled, before he was cut off.

Another pulse of telekinetic energy flung him back into the wall, causing him to let out a pained groan. At Blake's silent command, the blaze raging behind her snaked around the room until Freddy was surrounded by angry flames, cornering him. Just what was going on?! She had been healed, dismissed the nightmares he had created, and could suddenly toss him around his own realm with a thought. Almost as if.... no... no, it couldn't be! There was no way she could have taken his powers! After all, he still had his dream powers, still felt the painful burden of that insipid link. So she hadn't stolen them. More of... copied-! It had to be when she touched him! That's what it happened. He had felt something, like a mild electric shock that he paid no mind to at first. It was obvious that Blake didn't even know how she did it, only that she had acquired his dream demon powers! Freddy pondered these thoughts as he fought to rise to his feet and dismiss her blaze, taking in deep, rasping breaths. For the first time since this hunt began, the demon looked truly afraid.

“You'll what?! Go on, spit it out now. You were all talk when I was a sacrificial lamb on your alter. Let's hear it, then!”

Blake glared at the fiend, shifting herself into a fighting position. The sound of heavy metal chains snapping and the barking of two angry dogs echoing throughout the boiler room caused Freddy to reconsider his advance. For a moment, he even thought about fleeing the fight. But with a low growl, Freddy made up his mind and attacked once again, braving his way through the fire.

Swinging her staff, Blake blocked his clawed hand before kicking him right in the knee and following up with another strike to his head, this one knocking his hat off. Freddy flicked his hand, flinging Blake across the room once more with his telekinetic energy right before he was blindsided by Kane and Hodder. The two canines returned with a savage vengeance, much more powerful then they had been the first time Freddy tangled with them. While he stabbed, punched, and kicked the animals multiple times, they refused to let up, as though they felt no pain. Each bite or scrape of their blunt claws made his skin feel like it was on fire once again, causing him to cry out in agony.

“Goddamn.... fucking.... mutts!!” Freddy cursed furiously, before he was ultimately dragged to the ground.

His sweater was hanging off of him in shreds, revealing that he had the horrific burn scars on his chest as well. A large puddle of sickly yellowish-green blood leaked from his wounds, as it seemed that for every one he healed, the dogs created two more. Blake found her footing once more, fixating her mismatched eyes on the scene unfolding before her. Again, she could hear Sidney's screams echoing from within Freddy's mind, as though every single thing he was going through, she was feeling too.

Cautiously, Blake approached, using her new found power to keep Freddy pinned to the floor beneath her dogs, completely at their mercy. Kane had the demon's right wrist firmly in his jaws, using his paws for extra pressure, while Hodder locked his fang-filled vice around Freddy's throat and began to bite down. A raspy, shocked gasp escaped from Freddy's mouth as he struggled. His heart pounded wildly in his chest, fearing that this may ultimately be his demise. That it would bring about the death of... Sidney. There was no silencing the anguished cries and pleas Freddy could hear ringing in his mind; she too was in severe agony.

_'Y-you're k-killing her!!'_ Freddy pleaded, mentally,  _'Kill me.... and Sidney dies too!'_

Blake knelt down beside Krueger, though she didn't call off her dogs or the fire yet and continued to have Hodder and Kane hold him. At the slightest twitch, the German Shepherds would growl as a firm reminder for him not to move, lest they tear him to pieces.

“Move, and they will rip you apart!” Blake warned, “I'll know if you're lying to me, demon.”

The psychic examined and analyzed him critically, not fully trusting him, and for good reason. Carefully, she placed her hand against his temple, wincing as she felt the full weight of his bonds pull her down. The constant pain and unbridled desire to be close to one, particular girl, this Sidney. It was unbearable! Blake could see her, a thin woman older then herself, about in her twenties, with long, dirty blonde hair and fair features struggling in bed as though an invisible force strangled her. She fell out of bed, on to her hands and knees on the floor of an inexpensive motel room, gasping and moaning in pain, yet she wouldn't wake up. With one hand, Sidney grasped at her throat, like she couldn't breathe and had similar injuries to what Freddy was sporting. Bruises and dog bites, particularly around the neck and right arm. More importantly, this woman had matching spiritual manacles and chains, the exact same bindings in fact, that the demon wore.

_'You see them, don't you? S-she's bound t-to me and I to her!'_ Freddy rasped, telepathically,  _'What one feels, the other endures. She's trapped here, with me. Somehow.... you're keeping her here. Please.... Sid has... nothing to do with this!'_

With a sharp gasp, Blake removed her hand and stood back up. Kane and Hodder didn't let up their grasp, and Freddy could only look up in terror as the end of Blake's walking stick sharpened itself into a deadly, sharp point. However, she hesitated, unsure of what to do. Freddy was prepared to kill Blake without a second thought. In fact he seemed so satisfied with the idea that he'd have probably lit up a cigarette afterward. Now Blake was in a position to do the same to him, she had him more prone and helpless then he could have ever remembered being.

_'It would make me no different.... to slaughter this thing and kill an innocent person in the process. Someone who had no say in this matter.'_ Blake whispered to herself, tears falling from her eyes,  _'I'd just become a monster too.... no better than Amelia.'_

Blake held in her breath and shut her eyes, screaming while driving the sharpened end of her staff downward. She could feel the outright terror coursing through Freddy at that very moment, the few precious seconds.

_'Forgive me, Sid!'_

Freddy winced and turned away, as much as Hodder's grip on his neck would allow. But the pain of the sharpened wood gouging through his head never came. Out of the corner of his eye, the demon could see the makeshift spear driven into the concrete floor, right beside his head. Above him, Blake panted heavily and trembled, fighting to keep anymore tears from falling.

“Did Sidney do this to you, Freddy? Did she bind you to her?” she questioned.

_'No! I-I did it to her! Unwittingly, she never had any say in it! Agghhhh..... now would you kindly call your damn mutt off of me?!”_ Freddy growled, mentally.

Once again, Blake scanned his thoughts. She could see it flashing before her; he had claimed a spirit that Sidney brought to the dream realm with her, one that she had bound to herself accidentally. But upon taking the poor soul, Freddy had also taken the binding curse along with it, thereby linking himself to the girl. Time it seemed, had only made things worse. When sharing the same realm, they felt each others' pleasures, as well as each others' pain. Yet.... there was something more between these two that Blake could sense. A bond not forged from spells and magic. No.... it was a lot like the bond she herself shared with Jason and Lisa. One of trust and, although faintly, friendship.

_'Freddy?!'_ Sidney's voice frantically screamed, followed up with a few gasping chokes,  _'Please..... stop.....'_

Leaning heavily on her staff, Blake finally made up her mind. Whether or not it was the right decision.... well, only time could be the judge of that.

“Freddy Krueger, I will not become the creature my mother was. Therefore.... I will show you the mercy you would NEVER have shown me!” Blake spoke at last, “Please, I ask you not to take this lightly. I spare you for Sidney's sake, NOT your own! But... if a beast like you has the capacity to care for someone other then themselves, there may be hope for you yet.”

The psychic wretched her staff out of the floor, restoring the sharpened end to it's original blunt tip. Meanwhile, Freddy couldn't believe what he had just heard. His ears had to be deceiving him! He made no secret what he had intended to do to Blake yet she would let him live? It... it was Sidney, his genuine care for that girl saved both of their lives; Blake refused to take an innocent life that had nothing to do with this.

“I'm going to have Kane and Hodder release you now, don't make me regret this.”

At her silent command, Blake's German Shepherds relinquished their hold on the demon, though before stepping off of him, they both snapped their jaws and growled in warning. Once the dogs were off of him and Blake's hold let up, Freddy scrambled to his feet, gasping for air and healing the nasty bite wounds on his neck and arm. The dream demon put some distance between himself and Blake, not wanting to endure that humiliation EVER again.

“You... wouldn't kill Sid? Even if it meant.... you'd be rid of me forever?” Freddy questioned, shakily and apprehensively. 

“Don't push your luck, demon! If I EVER catch you harming my father, my dogs, or myself for that matter, then I will test if that theory is true.” Blake warned, her voice raising, “Your turn to see if I'm lying or not...”

There was a time Freddy would have gleefully played along with such a proposition then slashed the sucker's throat open while laughing in their face without a second thought. Yet with Blake, despite her young age and kind heart, Freddy just knew it would be a bad idea. He had someone else to consider this time, someone who didn't share his previous immortality that he still attempted to facade. Should he die, thus Sidney die, then he may very well become extinct as though he never were. Blake had held both of their lives in her hands and decided to give them back. Should Freddy decline and continue his assault, however, he could see clearly that Blake was quite capable of killing to defend those she cared about if she had to, despite her outward compassion. His own powers had never been fully wielded against him, and in all honesty, that prospect terrified Krueger.

Both demon and psychic stared each other down for a while, hearing a shared voice within their minds coughing and gasping for air. Sidney.... she was safe, if perhaps a little worse for wear.

“If you care about Sidney the way I think you really do, you'll go to her instead of taking Amelia Rake's transgressions against you out on me.” Blake suggested, “Amelia's sins are not mine.”

Just to emphasize her suggestion that it was time for him to retreat, Kane and Hodder barked loudly, snapping their jaws and preparing to pounce once more if need be.

“You know my dirty little secret,” Freddy groaned, holding up his hands and showing the ethereal bonds shackled to him, “Would you.... consider helping me, helping Sid, break this fucking curse?”

At Freddy's request, Blake narrowed her mismatched eyes in disbelief. While his raspy voice may have been sincere, his intentions weren't. He wanted the bonds broken for himself, not for her. Even after sparing him for the sake of another, Freddy was going to try and twist her kind and caring nature to his advantage, hoping she would take pity on him for as long as it suited his needs. Once a demon, always a demon.

“No!” Blake answered flatly, shaking her head, “I know what you're trying to do, Freddy Krueger. It's better for me and everyone else that you remain in your bound state. Perhaps it will teach you to pay attention to someone else's needs and not just your own selfish desires.”

Freddy felt his blood on the verge of boiling at Blake's answer. Part of it because he wasn't getting what he wanted, and partly because he knew she was right! Flexing his claws, the fiend debated whether or not he should just attack her again anyway. Take a chance and roll the dice with death.

“I wont be in this bound state forever, Blake!” Freddy threatened, pointing his clawed forefinger at her, “With or without your help, I'll find a way to break it and when I do.... THEN I'll come back for you!”

He spat on the floor, emphasizing his claim with a low snarl in the back of his throat.

“Then I'll be waiting,” Blake answered.

Her calmness infuriated the dream demon. She could see right through him, that even he didn't believe his own words. For the first time Freddy could really remember, he was lying to himself.

“But until such a day arrives.... GET OUT OF MY DREAMS!!” Blake shouted.

She slammed her staff on the floor, creating an eerie echo that shook the entire boiler room. Freddy let out a loud pained hiss as he backed away, feeling his lair crumbling all around him. He was then subjugated to a powerful pulse of telekinetic force that shoved him backwards, through his own furnace. Momentarily, the heat of the flames licked painfully against his skin, though as quickly as it started, it stopped. Freddy abruptly skidded to a halt, tumbling into the wall of a spookingly familiar motel room.

The dream demon moaned painfully as he glanced around his new surroundings. He.... wasn't in the dream realm anymore. Blake had, for lack of better terms, kicked him out and back into the mortal world! His bladed hand scraped against the cheep wall paper as he sat there for a moment, trying to process what had just happened when he heard a strained, groggy, and familiar pained voice.

“Freddy...!? -cough, cough- W-what the hell j-just happened?”

**~1428 Elm St.~ ~1428 Elm St.~ ~1428 Elm St.~ ~1428 Elm St.~ ~1428 Elm St.~**

Blake felt herself calming down and was finally able to relax. She could no longer feel Freddy Krueger's presence. He was gone, she had banished him from her mind. Taking in a deep, relieved breath, the girl watched as the industrial hellhole Freddy had conjured up faded and tore away, unveiling a thick forest on the edge of a beautiful lake.

“This is more like it, huh?” Blake asked, looking down at her two dogs.

Kane and Hodder both yipped softly, their tails wagging as they tilted their heads up at their mistress. While Blake could still feel the powers she had somehow borrowed from the dream demon coursing through her, she used it to heal her two furry friends of their injuries, leaving them as good as new.

The three of them walked out onto the wooden dock, watching as the light of the full moon reflected and shimmered off the water's surface. Blake sat down with her legs over the edge, dipping her now bare feet in the water, one dog on either side of her. Hodder and Kane gently nuzzled against her, enjoying themselves as she stroked them.

“Looks like this little piggy had two big, bad wolves on her payroll!” Blake laughed, “Oh.... that sounds like something Geoffrey Redsun would say.”

While the dogs may not have been able to answer, Kane placed a large paw on Blake's lap while Hodder gave her a few doggie kisses on her cheek. Yet while Blake's German Shepherds showered her with affection, the psychic couldn't help but feel a creeping doubt plague her. She had let Freddy Krueger, a dream demon, the one who had burned down Westin Hills and murdered countless people, go because she couldn't bear the thought of having the blood of one innocent life on her hands. Yet.... her hands remained stained nevertheless. Or did they?

_'Did you forget about Norman?'_ prodded that annoying little voice in her mind, _'When you set his own dogs upon him to tear him to shreds?'_

Norman Gordon, Kane's and Hodder's former master. That fiend was a different case! He was far from innocent, he was going to kill her friend if Blake didn't do what she had done. Freddy, well there was hardly an innocent soul.... but Sidney, a girl she had never even met who never asked for any of this...? Should she have taken her life too if it meant stopping Freddy for good? Would it make her any different then her mother, taking an innocent life even if it was for “the greater good?”

“Boys.... did I.... really do the right thing?” Blake asked, a single tear sliding down her cheek.

Kane and Hodder just whined softly, unable to voice any true answer for their unsure mistress. What was done is done, there was no changing it now. A short while later, something floating on top of the water and lightly brushing against Blake's leg was enough to snap the psychic from her moral dilemma. Using her staff which was still beside her on the dock, she was able to scoop up the object with the end of it and set it down in her lap. A slight smile crossed Blake's face, realizing what it was. She gazed at the old brown fedora, smiling sadly.

“There may still be hope, even for someone like him...”

**~1428 Elm St.~ ~1428 Elm St.~ ~1428 Elm St.~ ~1428 Elm St.~ ~1428 Elm St.~**

Meanwhile,

Freddy seethed with fury, mustering all his willpower not to lash out at the one person left on the mortal or any other realm that did give a damn about him. Sidney was on her hands and knees beside him, her calming touch working to soothe away the rage simmering within and the pounding ache that the link between the two of them caused. Physical contact with her was always the best cure, and as of late, he had been neglecting Sidney, trying to bury the link's pain on his own, leaving her by herself for weeks on end at times.

It was only when he truly realized that should he die, she would to, did he think of being more attentive. Sidney wasn't immortal like he was, and he wasn't too eager to find out if her mortality would pass to him should either one of them get killed, regardless of which realm they were in at the time. A twinge of guilt ripped at the demon's heart when he saw just how shaken Sidney really was. She didn't have any idea of what exactly was going on, only that Freddy was being attacked and that she was suffering for it. Sure, sometimes she'd feel annoying pinpricks and cuts while he was out hunting, (something that she hated when he left her to do!) but this was different. Freddy was unable to wake her up! Something kept Sidney locked in the Dream World with him, and this prospect terrified the dream demon.

“F-Freddy? Please.... j-just tell me...” Sidney pleaded, “What happened back there?”

She had seen Freddy hunt before; he was a cold, calculating predator that tormented his prey into submission before pouncing. But Sidney had NEVER seen him cast from his own domain. Sure, he had thrown herself and others out of the realm of dreams.... just what did he choose to pick a fight with? Another demon, maybe? Come to think about it, when the going got rough, why didn't he throw her out?

Taking in a deep sigh, Freddy faced the girl, running his free hand through her long blonde hair, “She.... I found an Elm Street brat, one of the few genuine remaining spawn. This girl had been investigating the ruins I left Westin Hills in and found a piece of my sweater left behind,” he explained, “I.... seriously underestimated her. Sidney.... I fucked up.... this girl was - is - a psychic, a powerful one.”

Hearing the word “Psychic”, Sidney perked up hopefully, “Freddy! Do you know what this means?”

Her smile faded as the defeated demon rose to his feet, doing his best to hide the shame written all over his face. A psychic would have been a VERY useful asset to them, especially if he or she was the real deal. Hell, Sidney had been trying to get a hold of some sort of real expert on the occult for a while now. After ignoring her for as long as he did and now this, how could he face her?

“Freddy.... y-you said y-you encountered a psychic.... right?” Sidney questioned, “Oh my God, what did you do?”

Without another word, Freddy couldn't bear to tell Sidney anymore. Instead, he would show her. He placed his ungloved hand on her temple, gazing right back into her worried, light blue eyes. Before Sidney could ask another question, several images began to flash through her mind. She winced from the ache it caused, an unfortunate byproduct of the link that bound her and the dream demon together. There before her inner eye was Freddy's boiler room, an all too familiar place, and a young girl wearing a blue sundress under a baggy black hoodie with mismatched eyes and silky, shoulder length brown hair. Honestly, she couldn't have been more than fifteen years old, possibly closer to thirteen. By the girl's side were the two ferocious German Shepherds.

_“Like it, Blake? Your mother used one just.... like.... this, didn't she? She was an.... interesting case, just like you.”_

She could hear Freddy's voice hiss, then the girl spoke,  _“T-that bladed glove.... My Mo-I-I mean Amelia Rake had it. How.... di-?”_

The exchange went on for a while, and Freddy could clearly feel the disappointment resonating in the back of Sid's mind. Well deserved, mind you. It wasn't until it was too late did Freddy realize just what he had picked a fight with. A pained cry escaped from the girl's mouth, reliving the vicious, vice-like jaws of those dogs sinking into the dream demon's flesh and precise strikes Blake had used to defend herself once Freddy pounced.

It got to a point where it was nearly unbearable to watch anymore, as Sid never particularly enjoyed watching Freddy kill. A slight gasp escaped her throat, seeing the ethereal manacles locked on the demon's wrists. It was her first time actually seeing a physical representation of the link that held them captive to each other. She was nearly at a loss for words, especially when she saw what Freddy intended to do to this young girl.

“No more, don't ask me to-”

“Please, Sid.... just watch...” the dream demon pleaded.

Instead of watching blood and bits of flesh spray everywhere and the light drain from Blake's eyes, the tables inexplicably turned on Freddy, leaving him both surprised and terrified. This girl, sick and on the brink of death suddenly fought back with a vengeance, eventually overpowering the demon and reversing their positions.

_'Y-you're k-killing her!!'_ Freddy had pleaded, mentally, _'Kill me.... and Sidney dies too!'_

Freddy.... he.... he had pleaded for her life. Sidney trembled once again, leaning heavily against him for support. She couldn't recall the last time he had actually been so afraid, perhaps back at Westin Hills when Kenda figured out how to make herself immune to his tricks.

“T-this.... is.... r-really.... beginning to hurt...” she begged, the pain becoming nearly unbearable.

“Just a little more, Sid.... you need to see this.”

_“Freddy Krueger, I will not become the creature my mother was. Therefore.... I will show you the mercy you would NEVER have shown me!”_ Blake had stated, _“Please, I ask you not to take this lightly. I spare you for Sidney's sake, NOT your own! But... if a beast like you has the capacity to care for someone other then themselves, there may be hope for you yet.”_

A few painful flashes later, Freddy held up his wrists, this time more clearly displaying the shackles locked around them and the seemingly endless chains attached to them. He had begged for the psychic to help him release this binding curse, for Sidney's sake, but he had pushed Blake to her limit. The girl refused him, citing that he would do well to remain in his punishment and let it teach him to consider the needs of another.

Once Freddy released Sidney, the girl had to catch her breath. She stumbled backwards with a slight whimper, nearly tripping over the bed. Freddy managed to catch her before she fell over, though it was quite obvious that he had a hard time even looking her in the eye.

“Whoa.... t-that was... intense.” Sidney gasped, brushing a lock of hair behind her ear.

“I told her nothing of you, the link, yet she knew about it! She was the reason I couldn't wake you. And.... you are the reason we're both still here. If.... Blake.... if she didn't know about you, we'd be...” Freddy cut himself off.

“Dead...” Sidney finished, “Freddy.... where is she? Maybe I can talk to her. She knows about the link! Perhaps if this-this Blake actually sees me, here or in the Dream World, I can convince her to-”

Before she could complete her suggestion, Freddy's gaze shot up, a look of absolute terror on his face. His gloved hand twitched and he shook his head.

“No! Did you not see what she did? That little girl.... she was able to borrow my dream world powers and use them against me! Before she did that... she was able to protect her two mutts from my control. Her mutts didn't fear me. If she's able to control an animal like that, imagine what she'd be able to do with a human! With you!” Freddy pointed out, “I only showed you this.... so that you would know what she looks like, so you can avoid her. Sid.... that child is a danger to us, and if either one of us hound her... believe me when I tell you that she's quite capable of killing.”

Sidney considered arguing this matter further, but she knew Freddy was right. It would more than likely end far more violently then the current wild goose chase they were on. And Freddy.... he was furious. Not only that he lost the fight, but the fact that he started it in the first place, too damn blinded by a grudge from the past to think about what he was doing. He had cost them a chance, cost them dearly. Now they were back to square one.

“I.... I can forgive you,” Sidney whispered, rubbing her hand on the dream demon's shoulder, “I'm willing.... to forgive you.... for everything.”

Freddy responded with a slight grunt, “Hmph. I never asked you to. Sid.... I fucked up big time.”

Sidney smiled weakly, leaning in the give Freddy a kiss on the cheek, “And you were brave enough to tell me the truth. It's a start. We've just got to keep looking. We'll find what we need to break this curse, one way or another. Until then... we will just have to make the best of the time we have together.”

With that, the girl placed a much firmer and demanding kiss right on Freddy's lips, causing him to smirk a little. Did he really deserve to have such a fantastic woman by his side? In all honesty, not hardly. Yet the lucky bastard had her, quite literally stuck with him. She saw past his countless flaws, offering him what few ever had. Love and loyalty. Sidney was too good for him, and Freddy knew this.

Carefully, he traced the flat of his blade from Sidney's cheek, down her neck to the thin spaghetti straps of her red tank top, leaving not a single scratch on her skin. The girl didn't even flinch as he flicked his claw, effectivly cutting the strap right off her shoulder. He grinned mischievously as the girl scooted closer, wrapping both of her arms around his neck. Perhaps he had been spending too much of his time dwelling on the past. Westin Hills was gone, and the ghost from his past? She was long dead!

“You know something, Sid?” Freddy sighed, gazing right back into the girl's eyes, “I think you're right.”

In a swift move, the dream demon crushed her lips to his own. The scent of Sidney's hair and soft, supple skin nearly drove him into madness. She was the one woman on this world that would tolerate him, love him, give herself to him.... and he'd have been a damn fool to throw that away!

“Freddy...?” Sid panted, with a slight moan.

“What is it, Sid? I'm.... a little busy here.” the demon groaned, lightly nipping Sidney's neck in between his words before removing the rest of her top completely.

“Where did your hat go?”

At Sidney's inquiry, Freddy paused mid-kiss, eyes going wide for a moment. Then one word, just one, came to mind,

_'Shit....'_

::The End...? Maybe?::

**Author's Note:**

> This was written as one LONG "oneshot", on my fanfiction it's broken up. Here, I decided to keep it as is. 
> 
> I absolutely loved the character of Blake McCormick from Guardian Angels, so I wanted to do some more with her in her hometown of Springwood. She's kind, sweet, and has also been trained to defend herself by none other than Jason Voorhees! 
> 
> We've never seen Freddy take on a psychic before. I think that someone else with mind-based abilities would have a better shot at fighting a dream demon than regular "Joe Schmoe."
> 
> At first, I thought about giving Blake straight up telekinesis as her most powerful ability, but that was too easy. So instead, I gave her the ability to temporarily "download" the powers of people/creatures she touches while concentrating. Of course, Blake isn't aware of what she did or how. 
> 
> Blake knows how to fight and can control animals through telepathy, but she doesn't want to kill anyone. Deep Down, she's afraid of becoming the monster Amelia Rake was. What would you have done in her stead? Would you have killed the dream demon if it meant killing someone else at the same time? Someone innocent who had no choice? I loved the internal struggle and the lines between what is right and what is gray. 
> 
> Anyways, this is a tiny bit of a prelude to Just Misunderstood, which will be posted on this site next! 
> 
> Show SyndromeVoorhees some love!!!


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